Lyles sporadic in loss to Diamondbacks

It’s something you might expect from a guy with a fastball and an iffy slider who becomes predictable. Or a max effort guy who burns out quickly and is destined for the bullpen.

But the one statistic that has perhaps above all others defined Jordan Lyles’ season is not something you’d expect from Jordan Lyles. He of the balanced if unspectacular arsenal faced his usual problems in a 12-4 loss to the Diamondbacks, allowing the first six hitters to reach base in the fifth inning, which eventually yielded Arizona nine runs.

The stat that has doomed him to a 5.70 ERA through 18 starts has to do with times through the batting order, as the opponents’ batting average gets so much better as the game goes on.

1st time through: .237
2nd time through: .269
3rd time through: .393

The routine was the same, cruise along nicely until a wicked hurdle in the middle innings tripped him up. Saturday night at Minute Maid Park was the most extreme the Astros have seen of it, though.

Carrying a 3-1 lead into the fifth after four strong innings, Lyles gave that back and much more without ever retiring a batter in the fifth. Technically the lead was gone in zero innings.

Lyles faced the top of the order to lead off the fateful inning, meaning it was everyone’s third look at the tall righthander. And the Diamondbacks were primed to pounce.

Gerardo Parra doubled, and they never looked back. A walk to Aaron Hill, a bloop single to Justin Upton, a solid single to Paul Goldschmidt as the native of The Woodlands tied the game at 3.

But they weren’t done as Miguel Montero walked and Bellaire’s Chris Young, who had the game of his life, singled to chase Lyles.

All six runs would be charged to him when Xavier Cedeno and Chuckie Fick had little success closing out the inning, which was punctuated with Aaron Hill’s three-run home run against Fick.

It’s been a frustrating season for Lyles, who has endured much difficulty repeating success from game to game. While that’s not rare for a young pitcher, the difficulty repeating it inning to inning is what has to be a real concern.

The Astros had a solid day on offense with massive home runs to left field by Chris Snyder and Tyler Greene, but there was just too much Arizona offense and too much Young.

The center fielder, who has always hit his hometown team extremely well, went 4-for-5 with a double and a home run as part of the onslaught.

Diamondbacks 12, Astros 4Tipping point: Double, walk, single, single, walk, single, walk, error was how the top of the fifth started as Arizona would turn a 3-1 deficit into a 10-3 lead by the time the frame was over.

On the mound: Pitching has pretty much disappeared in five games against the Diamondbacks this year. The Astros are 0-5 against Arizona, allowing 9.6 runs per game.

At the plate: Chris Snyder and Tyler Greene’s home runs, while up to the Crawford Boxes, were no cheapies. The Astros have now hit 61 home runs at home to 44 on the road.

Under the radar: Brandon Barnes made a fantastic catch in center field, running away from home plate and diving for the ball.

<b><center>Aug. 18: Diamondbacks 12, Astros 4</center></b> (Multiple exposures were combined in camera to produce this image.) Jordan Lyles pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning. less

<b><center>Aug. 18: Diamondbacks 12, Astros 4</center></b> (Multiple exposures were combined in camera to produce this image.) Jordan Lyles pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third ... more

Photo: Thomas B. Shea / 2012 Getty Images

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Mike Zagurski of the Arizona Diamondbacks is congratulated by Wil Nieves of the Arizona Diamondbacks after they defeated the Houston Astros.

Mike Zagurski of the Arizona Diamondbacks is congratulated by Wil Nieves of the Arizona Diamondbacks after they defeated the Houston Astros.

Photo: Thomas B. Shea / 2012 Getty Images

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Aaron Hill of the Arizona Diamondbacks forces the out to Brett Wallace in the second inning.

Aaron Hill of the Arizona Diamondbacks forces the out to Brett Wallace in the second inning.

Photo: Thomas B. Shea / 2012 Getty Images

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Jordan Lyles pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning.

Jordan Lyles pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning.

Photo: Thomas B. Shea / 2012 Getty Images

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Aaron Hill of the Arizona Diamondbacks rounds second base after hitting a three-run home run against Chuckie Fick in the fifth inning.

Aaron Hill of the Arizona Diamondbacks rounds second base after hitting a three-run home run against Chuckie Fick in the fifth inning.

Photo: Thomas B. Shea / 2012 Getty Images

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Chris Young congratulates Gerardo Parra and Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks after they defeated the Houston Astros.

Chris Young congratulates Gerardo Parra and Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks after they defeated the Houston Astros.

Photo: Thomas B. Shea / 2012 Getty Images

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Jordan Lyles wipes his head after loading the bases against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning.

Jordan Lyles wipes his head after loading the bases against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning.

Photo: Thomas B. Shea / 2012 Getty Images

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Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks throws his bat after grounding out to the Houston Astros in the eight inning.

Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks throws his bat after grounding out to the Houston Astros in the eight inning.

Photo: Thomas B. Shea / 2012 Getty Images

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Aaron Hill of the Arizona Diamondbacks forces the out to Brett Wallace in the second inning.

Aaron Hill of the Arizona Diamondbacks forces the out to Brett Wallace in the second inning.

Photo: Thomas B. Shea / 2012 Getty Images

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Miguel Montero of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits a single in the third inning.

Miguel Montero of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits a single in the third inning.

Photo: Thomas B. Shea / 2012 Getty Images

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Jordan Lyles pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning.

Jordan Lyles pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning.

Photo: Thomas B. Shea / 2012 Getty Images

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Aaron Hill of the Arizona Diamondbacks is congratulated by teammates after hitting a three-run home run against Chuckie Fick of the Houston Astros in the fifth inning.

Aaron Hill of the Arizona Diamondbacks is congratulated by teammates after hitting a three-run home run against Chuckie Fick of the Houston Astros in the fifth inning.

Photo: Thomas B. Shea / 2012 Getty Images

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Aaron Hill of the Arizona Diamondbacks fields the ball in the third inning while Tyler Greene runs toward second.

Aaron Hill of the Arizona Diamondbacks fields the ball in the third inning while Tyler Greene runs toward second.

Photo: Thomas B. Shea / 2012 Getty Images

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Aaron Hill of the Arizona Diamondbacks is congratulated by teammates after hitting a three-run home run against Chuckie Fick in the fifth inning.

Aaron Hill of the Arizona Diamondbacks is congratulated by teammates after hitting a three-run home run against Chuckie Fick in the fifth inning.

Photo: Thomas B. Shea / 2012 Getty Images

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Chris Young of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits a home run in the eighth inning against Rhiner Cruz.

Chris Young of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits a home run in the eighth inning against Rhiner Cruz.

Photo: Thomas B. Shea / 2012 Getty Images

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Xavier Cedeno walks in Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth inning.

Xavier Cedeno walks in Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth inning.